WARNING: TRAINSPOTTER TERRITORY!
OK, here we go, the timeline of 'Sooner Than You Think' lyrics:
01/12/83 The Academy, Brixton, UK
The debut of the song, which was called 'Aleph' on the setlist (as per Steve Morris on Twitter 30/04/20).
This is mainly an instrumental, but does contain made-up 'on the spot' lyrics to approximately 1.5 verses.
Some of these scant lyrics repeat the lines 'Meaning Of Life' (presumably why some bootleg copies of this tape label it with this name).
02/04/84 Volkshaus, Zurich, Switzerland
The first proper vocal version, although this is definitely Bernard (again) making up lyrics on the spot.
It contains various lyrics about Switzerland being beautiful, comparing it to England and about a party/fight in a hotel. It also starts with the ‘Hello everyone, it’s nice to be here…’ line.
There’s also a line about being a ‘thousand miles from here” that sticks around for some months.
02/04/84 DR3-FM
Radio broadcast of above gig. Apparently, this was broadcast 'live' on the day.
10/04/84 Saga Cinema, Copenhaga, Denmark
Again, made-up lyrics, but completely different to above Zurich lyrics.
The lyrics appear to be mainly in a 'love song' style including a repeated line of “oh, I know I love you".
15/08/84 Mayfair Suite, Sunderland, UK
Ok, so this is where it gets interesting, with common elements being used.
A lot of the lyrics revert back to the Zurich ones, starting with ‘Hello everyone… etc.’, mentioning the party and Switzerland. Some words are basically exactly the same as the Zurich version, which pretty much points to the fact that Bernard must’ve heard a tape of the gig. But it also adds a few more that would eventually make it to the LP version.
It also retains some of the lyrics (albeit in a slightly altered format) from the Copenhagen gig (“oh, you know we love you… yes we do”).
16/08/84 City Hall, Hull, UK
Basically similar to Sunderland (unsurprising, considering it was the next day)
19/08/84 Leisure Centre, Gloucester, UK
Basically the same lyrics and format.
22/08/24 Golddiggers, Cheltenham, UK
Some slight variation here, with certain choruses changing ("yes you do” rather than “yes we do”), foreshadowing the LP version.
This is the first mention of cheaper drinks in England.
Also, Bernard seems to have dropped naming “Switzerland” and now lists it as “your country”, again mirroring the final version.
23/08/84 Cornwall Colosseum, St Austell, UK
Pretty much the same basic lyrics as Cheltenham for the first two verses, but the third verse is very different with a load of lyrics about the ‘difference in countries’ which are difficult to make out. There’s a tonne of other of lyrics in this bit, which sounds like Bernard is making shit up again and over-running on what should be considered the proper length for the verse.
Also, this is the version that introduces the “you know what we do is so unkind” bit and this is pretty much identical to the final version.
25/08/84 ‘Rock Around The Clock, BBC Studios, London
REALLY interesting here.
The lyrics, only two days on from Cornwall, are basically exactly the same as the released LP version. Very, very little difference. It doesn’t sound like Bernard is ‘making it up’ as he goes along, so I presume he ‘nailed down’ the lyrics over the last day or two. Maybe he did it in that 'nightmare' car journey from Cornwall to London.
27/08/84 Heaven Ultradisco, London, UK
Basically the same as the BBC one above.
Presumably, all other versions after this point follow the same lyrics (give or take a few Sumner flourishes).
Lyrics are fully formed, ready for the LP to be recorded in October-December 1984.
So, to summarise:
a) Song is debuted as ‘Aleph’ at Brixton on 01/12/83. This is basically an instrumental with a handful of ‘scratch’ lyrics.
b) Song’s second outing at Zurich on 02/04/84 has full lyrics, but these are made-up on the spot and detail Bernard’s experiences of Switzerland.
c) Song’s third outing at Copenhagen has completely different made-up lyrics.
d) Song’s fourth outing at Sunderland on 15/08/84 reverts back to the lyrics about the Switzerland experiences.
e) Song continues to evolve throughout August with it reaching it’s final form, lyrically, at the BBC performance on 25/08/84.
What conclusions can we draw from all this?:
Some time between Copenhagen on 10/04/84 and Sunderland on 15/08/84, Bernard must’ve heard the Zurich tape; possibly someone supplied him with a copy of the radio broadcast or he heard the soundboard tape. He then decided to run with those ’Switzerland’ lyrics.
Lyrics evolved rapidly during August and especially between 23-25/08/84. Presumably over these two days, Bernard finalised the lyrics.
I have WAYYYYYY too much time on my hands.
Incidentally, I guess this exercise has helped me to determine where the ‘working title’ of ‘Meaning of Life’ for STYT came from. It probably isn’t a ‘working title’; it’s probably just what some fan called it on a bootleg based on the sparse lyrics in the Brixton ‘Aleph’ version.
Also, if you made it this far without nodding off, well done!
